Steeda's Mustang Mach 1 Improvements: Their Fiercest Ford Mustang Yet

September 21, 2021
Story By
Mark Masker

When you've upgraded as many Ford Mustangs as Steeda has, you can claim you're an expert on what you're doing. Both the 'Stang and Steeda have rich histories in the automotive world, sometimes hand in hand. So when they say that this Mustang Mach 1 is the strongest they've produced to date, that means something.

Or, as Steeda Performance Vehicles' President Bob Adams tells it, "The Mach 1 branch of the Mustang family tree has a heritage as good as it gets. Our Steeda engineers have a performance focused reputation to live up to as well. With that in mind, our engineers set out to build the most refined track-worthy Mustang Steeda has ever offered and they succeeded beyond our wildest imagination. The Steeda Mach 1 is our fiercest track-ready car yet. With an unmatched blend of raw power and refined handling, they made the Steeda Mach 1 a force to be reckoned with.”

It's a given that the car backs all of that up, too. Steeda smoked many a brake pad and burned a lot of fuel getting this Mach 1 dialed in; just like they always do. All of that testing convinced them that the Steeda upgrades greatly increase the attitude and performance of the Mach 1. As Steeda's president, Dario Orlando, likes to say, “Racing either proves the theory, or destroys it.” That's exactly why the company performed stock baseline tests across the board versus what you’d get with a performance equipped Serialized Steeda Mach 1.

To that end the engineers tested their theories before getting their mitts on their first Mach 1 by partnering with Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park. First they tested a dealership stock Mach 1, then they installed Steeda suspension upgrades only, and then ultimately the crew tested the refined Steeda Mach 1 with their optional Competition Package which was developed for those competitive weekends spent at the track.

All of that effort not only proved the theory, it also yielded some impressive numbers. According to their data, a bone stock baseline run at The FIRM netted 1:24.3. Tossing Steeda suspension on the car with a proper track alignment netted a 1:19.7, even with stock tires and brakes. And the Competition Package (offered with the Steeda Mach 1 through Steeda Performance Vehicles) got the testers a 1:17.8 thanks to those aggressive brakes, and the addition of sticky Nitto rubber underneath each corner of the car.

This is a true apples-to-apples-to-apples comparison of what you could obtain with a select few track-proven parts on your Mach 1. Check out the Christmas list of performance parts below.